Erin Heatherton's Plea for Healthy Model Body Image Ignored

American model Erin Heatherton called out Victoria's Secret and the modelling industry in general last week for putting constant pressure on her to maintain a certain weight. The top model gave up her position with Victoria's Secret in 2013 after she was told to drop weight for two of their famous annual shows.

She revealed that she made the decision when she felt the company had pushed her too far: “My last two Victoria’s Secret shows, I was told I had to lose weight. I look back like, ‘Really?' I got to a point where one night, I got home from a workout and I remember staring at my food and thinking maybe I should just not eat. I was really depressed because I was working so hard and I felt like my body was resisting me."

Erin comments that she wanted to come forward with her experience because she doesn't want anyone else to experience what she went through:“I’m willing to sacrifice my pride, in a sense, and my privacy because I know that if I don’t speak about it, I could be withholding information that would really help women. It hurts too much to keep it in, and that’s why I’m not keeping it in now.”

Despite her real-life experience which has made headlines, Erin's story is just one of many - and it's a story that continues to be pushed to the side and ignored. Victoria's Secret have not had any pressure applied to change their attitude towards model heath and diet. This unhealthy attitude and extreme push for perfection continues to damage model body image and despite stories like Erin's, we continue to turn a blind eye to the reality behind the runway.